Vehicle joint and panel construction.



J. W. CLEMENTS. I VEHICLE JOINT AND PANEL CONSTRUCTIONQ Y APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1916. 1,192,866. PatentedAug. 1,1916.

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JOHN W. CLEMENTS, OF RICHMOND, INDIAN A.

VEHICLE JOINT AND PANEL CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Iietters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

Application filed March 13, 1916. Serial No. 83,709.

To all whom it may c0nccrn:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. CLEMnNTs, a citizen of the Unlted States, reslding 1n the city of Richmond, in the county of or motor driven.

The object of the invention, broadly speaking, is the provision of a vehicle oint and panel construction which is neat and attractive in appearance, in which the parts are easily assembled with relation to each other, and being so constructed that it will be practically impervious to Water or moisture which may come into contact therewith.

Other minor objects and particular ad vantages of my invention will be brought out in the course of the following description, and that which is new will be correlated in the appended claim.

The preferred means for carrying out the principles of my invention in a practical and a mechanical manner is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front, or outside, elevation of my invention, and of the neighboring parts associated therewith. Fig. 2 is a side or edge elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a central vertical section of. the several parts of the construction. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the several parts. And F 5 shows a modified form for the subs1 Similar indices denote like parts throughout the several views.

In order that the construction and the adaptation of the several parts may be better understood andiappreciated I will now take up a detailed description thereof, in which I will set forth the invention as briefly'and as comprehensively as I may.

Referring now to the drawings in detail: numeral 1 denotes one of the body posts which extend up and down at various places throughout the body of a vehicle-bed.

The drip-rail comprises the head 2, the stem 3, and the projecting flange or apron 4,

the latter being turned down at right-angles to the stem, while the'head 2 extends both up and down and at right angles to the stem, the head being located on the opposite end of the stem from that of the flange 4. The drip-rail not only acts in the capacity indicated by its title but it also acts as an auxiliary sub-sill and contributes to the strength and the rigidity of the body or bed of the vehicle. The upper face of the drip-rail should slope slightly outward and downward and its outer portion curves sharply downward at right angles to its head portion. Formed in the downwardly disposed face of the flange 4 and extending parallel therewith is the segmental inverted channel 5, which is adapted to prevent water from running back under the drip-rail.

By reason of the form ofthe drip-rail, as above stated, it is apparent that a groove is formed between the lower portion of the head'2, the flange 4, and the lower portion of the s'te'm,in which groove is fitted the upper edge of the panel 6.

At their intersections the drip-rail and the post lare halved together,that is to say a horizontal notch is formed in the front face of the post, whose width is equal to the vertical diameter of the head 2; and a vertical notch is formed in the rear face of the drip-rail, the 'latter notch extends half-way through theliead 2, and its horizontal diameter is equal to the width of the post 1. By the above arrangement'it is apparent that the back of the panel 6 will be brought into contact with the outer face of the post 1, also the rear edge of the head 2 of the drip rail will be even with the rear face of the post, andthefront edge of the head 2 will be flush with the face of the post 1.

The sub-sill, or lower rail, comprises the "head '2', the stem 8, and thecap-flange 9, the latter beingin the nature of a double flange a groove a for the upper edge of the panel 10, shown in Fig. 3.

.At theirintersections the sub-sill and the post 1 are halved together in the same manner as the drip-rail and the post 1, as above set forth.

The drip-rail and the post 1 are secured together as by the screw 11; and the subsill and the post are secured together as by the screw 12. The panel 6 may be secured to the post 1 by the screws 13 and 14:. The heads of the screws 13 and 14 should be countersunk with their heads located inward from the face of the panel, and the heads of said screws are then covered by the respective disks 15 and 16 which are flush with the surface of the panel, as shown.

Numeral 17 denotes a glass or other transparency for forming a window; the lower edge of said glass rests on the stem 3 and its back contacts with the outer face of the upper portion of the head 2, and also with the post 1. The lower edge of said glass may be secured in place by the quarter-round strip 18, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, while the upper edge thereof may be secured in any manner desired, with which this invention has no concern.

It is of course to be understood that the construction herein shown is to be employed at various points in the construction of vehicle beds or bodies, that is at each of the vertical posts; the drip-rail, the sub-sill, and

the panel of course extend across between the various body posts, whereby I provide a very rigid and durable construction, and primarily provide a construction which Will be impervious to rain or moisture. It is also evident that by reason of the flange 4: the water running down the glass, or from other parts of the vehicle, will be thrown clearof the body, and then in connection With the channel 5 it will be seen that the Water would have to travel up hill in order to enter the interior of the bed or body. Then in addition to the above the various parts may be painted with lead, or its equivalent, thereby making the absorption of water practically impossible.

I desire that it be understood that I am not limited by such terms as up and down, horizontal or vertical, as these terms are used merely for convenience of description,

and merely denote the relative positions of parts indicated. I also desire that it be understood that various changes may be made in the several details of construction without departing from the spirit of my invention and without sacrificing any of the ad vantages thereof.

Having now fully shown and described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, 1s

A vehicle joint and panel construction comprising in combination, a vertical post; a drip-rail comprising a head, a stem, and a projecting flange, the latter being turned down at right-angles to the stem and with the head turned up at right-angles to the stem, with the head located on the opposite end of the stem from that of the flange, the said drip-rail being located at right-angles to and halved into connection with said post, there being an inverted segmental channel formed along in the lower face of said flange; a panel having its upper edge fitted in the groove formed between the lower portion of the head, the flange, and the lower portion of the stem; means for securing the panel to the post; a sub-sill comprising a head, a stem, and a cap-flange extending up and down, the lower edge of said panel being located in the groove formed by the upper portion of the head of the sub-sill, the stem, and the upper portion of the flange thereof, the sub-sill also being at right-anglcs to and halved into connection with said post; a transparency having its lower edge resting on the first mentioned stem and its back in contact with the post and the upper portion of the first mentioned head, and means for securing the transparency in said position, all substantially as set forth and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN W. (ELEMENTS.

WVitnesses:

R. E. RANDLE, RoBT. W. HANDLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. a 

